Exodus from the PDP: The Wike Connection; Bauchi, Abia Govs Might Be Next To Exit

By Chidi Levi

If the information at The Source’s disposal is anything to go by, the haemorrhage in the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, will not stop anytime soon.

This magazine has been, reliably, informed that barring a last-minute change of mind, Abia and Bauchi states will, by the second week of July, become All Progressives Congress’, APC’s, latest additions to its fold.

Governors of the two States- Dr. Victor Okezie Ikpeazu, competent APC sources told The Source, have wrapped up plans to dump the PDP for the ruling party.

In fact, after attending Zamfara State Governor, Bello Matawalle’s defection rally Tuesday, about 18 APC Governors will proceed to Bauchi to show solidarity to Governor Bala Muhammed, and futher solidify his exit plans.

Next week, the APC Governors will be in Umuahia to perfect Dr. Ikpeazu’s defection arrangements.

The APC delegation, according to sources, will use the opportunity to reconcile Governor Ikpeazu and Senate Chief Whip, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu’s conflicting interests as regards the APC structures in Abia. However, Ikpeazu had, recently, denied any such move.

While Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State is still weighing his options, it has been learnt that one of two APC Governors will be despatched to Enugu to persuade him to jump ship.

Governor Bala’s eventual defection will be seen by many as the fulfilment of the pledge he made to Cross River State Governor, Professor Ben Ayade.

When the Bauchi State Governor visited Calabar, the Cross River state capital, in April to dissuade Governor Ayade from dumping the PDP, he had emphatically told his host that “an injustice to Ayade is an injustice to Bala. If you cross, I will cross”

Ayade crossed to the APC in May but no word has been heard from Bala since then.

Apart from other secondary reasons, this magazine has it on good authourity that the alleged overbearing influnce of Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, is at the heart of the reason many of the PDP Governors are leaving the party.

Said a chieftain of the opposition party: “Yes, he funds the party massively. In fact, Wike is the biggest financier of PDP, but that does not give him the right to carry on as if the party is his private estate.

“Examples abound where Wike dressed down the National Leadership of the PDP, and even his fellow PDP Governors like a headmaster scolding his erring pupils. Now that the Governors are leaving, let Wike have PDP to himself”.

There is also the issue of the River state Governor’s, alleged, ambition to pair with his Sokoto state counterpart, Aminu Tambuwal, as running mate in the 2023 presidential election.

Many PDP Governors, especially those from the South-east, are stoutly opposed to Wike’s alleged Vice Presidential ambition which they regard as an injustice to the region.

They claim Wike is bent on bulldozing his way to have Tamabuwal as Presidential candidate and himself as runing mate.

“From all indications, neither the PDP nor APC is prepared to yield their 2023 Presidential tickets to the South-east, yet, South south’s Wike is busy scheming to be a Vice Presidential candidate in PDP rather support our region to clinch the position, his South-south having produced the President in the person of Dr Goodluck Jonathan just a few years back.

“We will work to stop him. Wike’s ambition will crash before his very eyes”, a Southeast Federal Lawmaker who craved anonymity fumed while responding to the magazine’s questions about the haemorrhage in the party.

However, not a few chieftains of the PDP deny those allegations. Without Wike, they say, there could have been no PDP. Wike is the one providing any semblance of leadership in the party.”

The Source, also, gathers that the allegation about Wike’s Vice Presidential ambition is not true. Said a reliable source: “It is false. Wike has no such ambition. He does not have a Vice Presidential ambition. He had even said so before. The truth is that some of these people are jealous of Wike because Wike has presence. Problem is: He is blunt, he is not diplomatic, and that is not good for a Politician. That can be self-destructive.”

For example, Governor Bala Muhammed is also concerned about his re-election in 2023. It was gathered that the Governor fears that with the PDP, he may not win re-election in 2023.

The outcome of the November 2020 Baraza Dass State Constituency bye-election in which the APC candidate, Bala Lukshi, defeated the PDP candidate, Lawal Wandi, was said to have further convinced the Governor that returning to Government House in 2023 on PDP’s platform may be a herculean task.

Bala narrowly defeated former Governor Muhammed Abdullahi Abubakar of the APC in 2019 to become the Governor. However, the APC took control of the State’s House of Assembly.

On his part, apart from his displeasure with Wike over the latter’s, alleged, overbearing influence in the party and bullying tendencies, Governor Matawalle is equally reportedly concerned about standing for, and winning a second term election on PDP’s ticket having become a PDP Governor by default in 2019( through the instrumentality of the Judiciary) in a State that is overwhelmingly APC.

For Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, his desire to go to the Senate to represent Abia South after his tour of duty as Governor, The Source was informed, is one of the reasons he will be defecting.

Ikpeazu’s alleged Senate ambition, should he pursue it in the PDP, will collide with Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe’s political interest. Abaribe is currently representing the Senatorial district in the Senate.

Ikpeazu, the magazine has been informed, does not want to struggle for the PDP Abia South Senatorial 2023 ticket with Senator Abaribe hence his APC moves.

Senator Abaribe who is the Senate Minority Leader is reportedly gearing up to return to the upper Legislative chamber in 2023.

Recently, Ikpeazu, through his Special Adviser on Media, Ennyinnaya Appolos, denied nursing defection ambition.

“Those of you waiting for Okezie Ikpeazu PhD, Governor of Abia State, to leave the People Democratic Party (PDP), you will wait for eternity…pls enjoy your waiting while Gov Ikpeazu, leader of the PDP in Abia is working with other state and national leadership of the party to ensure a PDP presidency of Nigeria in 2023…Power to the people! PDP!”, Appolos had said on his Facebook page.

Meanwhile, the National leadership of the PDP is said to be frantically pilling nerve-wracking pressure on its Governors not to defect.

This is in addition to making several tempting concessions to them, including automatic return tickets for its first term Governors, and Senate tickets and freedom to instal their successors for its second term Governors.